Landscaping equipment used in the construction industry comes in a wide variety of forms, and two of the most common types of such equipment are scrapers and loaders.
In general, scrapers are provided in two basic configurations, the first being a unit that is provided with a specially formed scraper blade having a straight bottom edge that is designed to scrape and level the ground over which it is moved, usually by a tractor or other vehicle having the scraper blade mounted on the front end thereof. The scraper blade in this configuration is usually mounted on the tractor or other vehicle at a slanted disposition with respect to the forward direction of movement thereof so that the dirt that is separated from the ground by the scraper blade is moved along the width thereof past the edge of the scraper blade where it is deposited for subsequent collection, usually by another piece of equipment, such as a front end loader.
In another configuration, usually referred to as a box scraper, the scraper blade is fixed to two side walls that extend forwardly in parallel relation from the scraper blade so that as the dirt is separated by the forward edge of the scraper blade, it will be pushed along in front of the scraper blade and will accumulate within the confines of the three walls. At periodic intervals, the box scraper is raised and passed over the mound of accumulated dirt so that the accumulated dirt remains where it is, or is subsequently collected and removed, such as by a front end loader, and the box scraper is then moved and lowered to the ground to commence again its scraping function.
On the other hand, loaders generally include a bucket or scoop that has a bottom wall and side walls defining a relatively large contained volume, and the loader is mounted on a vehicle so that it can be manipulated to position it sideways so that its open top portion can be moved into a mound or pile of dirt and cause the dirt to flow into the bucket until it is substantially filled, after which the bucket is turned on its axis so that the open top portion faces upwardly and the dirt is fully contained by the side walls and bottom, whereby it can be raised and transported to any desired location where the bucket is again manipulated to turn the bucket about its axis and dump the dirt therefrom.
Heretofore, scrapers and loaders of the above-described types were made as separate and distinct units which had to be utilized individually in addressing different tasks. In accordance with the present invention, a simple unit is provided which can be used as both a scraper and a loader with only a minor and easily accomplished adjustment of the unit.
Finally, so-called "four-in-one" buckets are known which are mounted on front end loaders and the like, and they include a pair of pivoted jaws, one of which is provided with teeth and both of which are formed with a scraper blade. By manipulating the two pivoted jaws, usually by using hydraulic cylinders, this bucket can be used for a multiplicity of functions, including scraping, loading, grabbing and dozing. While these buckets are versatile, they can only be used on loaders and they require hydraulic systems for moving the jaws, all of which adds to the complexity and expense of the bucket.